Method of producing composite pictures



Jan. 28, 1936. c, c, BRIEL i ,86

METHOD OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE PICTURES Filed Oct. 12, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /10 W I \k ll UDOD DUO MID nlmnn iii-i" ZNVENZUR con r'dd G. Briel r AMA/[I5 C. G. BRIEL METHOD OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE PICTURES Jan. 28, 1936.

Filed Oct. 12, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nl EN DR Conrad G. Briel AM 6M 22%? Ming, F/Vfl/E Patented Jan. 28, 1936 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF PRODUCE; G COMPOSITE PICTURE Conrad G. Briel,

. Development ration of Illinois Chicago, Ill., assignor to Cinema Company,

Chicago, 111., a corpo- Application October 12, 1931, Serial No. 568,385

. Claims.

This invention relates to a method of producing composite pictures in photography.

More particularly, the invention relates to a method of producing composite photographs em- 5 bodying two or more component parts, which ineludes placing the component parts in superposed relation and illuminating them with lights with which they are respectively illuminable, and, by a single exposure, producing a composite picture.

The desirability of producing composite photographs is particularly marked in the motion picture art, but the invention herein described is not limited to this art alone but may be used gen- 5 erally in photography.

Broadly, two original scenes or components may be composed into a single picture by the use of film transparencies, one comprising a selected background and the other comprising a selected 20 action, which are superposed and photographed, both components having their images rendered opaque to but reflective of light, the specific disclosure including a coating or like element, applied to the images, either manually, mechani- 25 cally, chemically, photographically, optically or electrolytically, which imparts to the images the desirable characteristics of light opacity and reflectivity so that when both components are superposed and illuminated by reflection, a com- 30 posite photograph may be produced.

In order to apprise those skilled in the art how to practice my invention, I shall now describe several preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates one of the various ways of placing a treated foreground film adjacent to a 40 treated background film, and controlling the illumination to permit photographing by a single exposure;

Fig. 2 is a similar illustration showing an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a positive background scene, the film being that usually employed in photography and having its image made opaque to but reflective of light by the application of a coating over the entire film on one 50 side;

Fig. 4 is a positive image of a film to be used as a foreground, the image having been made opaque to and reflective of light;- v

Fig. 5 is the same positive shown in Fig. 4, but

55 looking at the opposite or emulsion sideto show the opaque but light-reflective coating over the image;

Fig. 6 illustrates a finished positive composite picture carrying the images of the foreground and the background thereon as a complete picture; 5 and Figs. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate additional alternative embodiments of the invention.

The components used may be the usual black and white diapositive, such as the ordinary 10 cinema projecting film, or plates used in still photography, or they may be paintings, depending upon the characters or images to be combined and the superposing to be done.

When the extensively used present-day film is developed, the images are formed by the fixation of innumerable minute particles of metallic silver imbedded in the gelatin of the photographic emulsion, there being relatively more silver particles in the shadows than in the high-lights but somewhat uniformly distributed throughout the depth of the photographic emulsion.

The present invention is very well adapted to this type of photographic film, but it will be understood that the invention might well be applied to other film where the images are produced in a difierent manner or have different physical characteristics.

As shown in the drawings, the background may be scenery, or other objects in the form of a painting or photographic film, a positive print ill of the background being shown in Fig. 3.

As a specific example, the foreground film ll shown in Fig. 4 may also be a painting or the usual diapositive, such as the ordinary cinema projecting film, having the area l2 about the image l3 transparent, and the image l3 comprising the metallic silver imbedded in 'the photographic emulsion carried by the base of the film. The action or objects, of which foreground image 40 I3 is composed, may be photographed in front of a white ground, so that, when a positive print is made from the negative, the area about the image will be transparent or relatively free from silver deposit.

While one of the features of the present invention resides in making the background image and the foreground image opaque to but reflective of light, it will be understood that the same results may be accomplished where these images are either inherently opaque to and reflective of light or have otherwise been previously treated to obtain one or both of these characteristics for any purpose whatsoever.

Thisstep may be accomplished by applying a relatively opaque but light reflective coating I5 to foreground image I3 and by applying a similar coating I6 to the rear surface of background film II). By the term rear surface I mean the surface that is away from and not facing lens ll of camera I8. The efiects produced by and shown as coatings I5 and I6 may be obtained on the images of the foreground and background components either manually, mechanically, optically, photographically, electrolyticaly or chemically, as disclosed and claimed in copending application Serial Number 365,568, filed May 23, 1929.

Fig, 5 illustrates the image I3 after it has been coated by opaque and light-reflective substance I5, and is a. view looking at the emulsion side of the foreground film II to show that this coating I5 may be applied to the image upon the emulsion side I2, although not necessarily so, inasmuch as it may be applied to the base side 22 when the occasion may require. Opaque and light-reflective coating I6 may be applied to background component II) in many different ways, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9, and as will be later explained.

The next step in the method herein disclosed consists in placing both background component I and foreground component II, after they have been treated, in superposed relation.

As illustrated in the drawings, background component I0 and foreground component I I need not be in actual contact, but may be arranged in suitable position and in one focal plane of lens I! of camera I8, while unexposed film I4 may be arranged in the other focal plane of lens II. By

proper lighting effects, these films may be illuminated so that they may be photographed by camera I8, or otherwise exposed to film I4, and a composite picture produced upon film I4, which, in this case. will be a negative. A positive print 20 of negative I4 is shown in Fig. 6 to illustrate that in the final composite picture produced the details of both components are clear and distinct and the details of the background'do not interfere with the details of the foreground.

The particular step of illuminating films III and II may be varied from that shown in thedrawings, but, as illustrated, it is preferred to use a light or lights I9 to illuminate the background component IB and the ponent H by reflected light. The illuminating light or lights I9 may be placed in any suitable position to secure the desired results. It is possible to space the components a suitable distance apart and employ separate illuminators for illuminating background component Ill and foreground component II. If an arrangement is used, which is shown in the drawings, the rays of light from illuminators I9 will pass through the clear area I2 of foreground component II, strike the image of background component I0 and be reflected back through this clear area I2 of film II, except where the foreground image I3 appears thereon. thereby effecting illumination of the background component by reflection. Coating I5 serves to prevent the passage of reflected light from the background film I0 through the foreground image area, while the light reflective characteristic of coating I5 causes. in effect, a reflection of the rays of light from illuminators I9 so that the details of the foreground image I3 will appear clear and distinct in the composite picture of positive film 20.

Material l5, as well as material I6, may be of any desired kind, the purpose of these coatings foreground combeing to render the image opaque to and reflective of light. They may be of any color, although I desire that coatings I5 and I6 may be someground component I0 and foreground component II may vary with respect to each other, but, in Fig. 1, the emulsion side 2I of film I I is away from lens I! and the celluloid side 22 of film II faces this lens. The emulsion sides of these two films may face each other, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, '7 and 9, but it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that this arrangement may vary somewhat.

As above stated, coating I6 may be applied to background component III in a number of different ways, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, '1, 8 and 9.

In Fig. 1, coating I6 is arranged in optical contact with the background image and as a substratum over the entire film between the celluloid base 24 and the emulsion 25. If the emulsion of background film I0 and the foreground film I I face each other, as shown in Fig. 2', coating I6 may be applied over the entire area of the celluloid base 24 so that the background image is spaced from this opaque and light-reflective coating I6 by the celluloid base 24.

It will be understood that although I have described the present invention in connection with standard photographic film wherein the sensitive photographic material is carried upon a base. such as celluloid, any type of film may be used and a celluloid base is not essential. In Fig. 7 the emulsion 25 is shown carried upon a base of white material 26. This material may be of any suitable substance, such as paper, and may serve the same purpose as coating I6.

In Fig. 8 I have shown an arrangement embodying the application of coating I6 to the emulsion 25 of background component I0 so that the celluloid base 24 is arranged to faceforeground component II.

In Fig. 9 I have shown an arrangement of making the image of background film reflective of light without applying a coating I6. This is accomplished by developing somewhat deeply film I0, and then subjecting the film to a washing bath to remove the developing reagent. It might be I found desirable to subject film I ll before washing to a stopbath in order to control the action of the developer. After film I0 is developed and washed, it is preferably not fixed so as to allow the undeveloped sensitive photographic material to remain, the density of this undeveloped sensitive photographic material varying to produce a varying reflectivity for light to effect correct reproduction of the background image when photographed upon film I I.

In the event the ordinary photographic film is 7 material remaining in the emulsion will be the aoaaeos equivalent and serve the same purpose. The broad concept of the present invention, with respect to this alternative embodiment of the invention, is intended to include such equivalent material, but I find that, specifically, the use of an undeveloped silver saltof light appearance or color produces remarkable results; The emulsion side 25 of background film it, as shown in Fig. 9, may be arranged to face the emulsion side M of foreground film i i. The light rays of iliumie nators i9 striking the image on background film II will be reflected by the undeveloped photographic material, and consequently, the details of the background image will be accurately impressed upon fllm I I.

In the drawings, the photographic emulsion is shown considerably thicker in cross section than the celluloid base contrary to the actual proportions generally used in the ordinary photographic film; but it will be understood that this showing is made for the purpose of illustration only, that these proportions may vary, and that the proportions of the standard photographic flim are also contemplated.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in described or shown herein, since many modifications are possible without departing from the flective of light, providing a substantially opaque but light reflective backing for the image of the first component, superposing the images and illuminating them by reflected light, and exposing a fresh actinic surface to the superposed illuminated images.

2. The method of producing a composite photograph embodying two component parts which includes making fllm transparencies, each transphotographic image of one of by light with which they are respectively illuminable, and exposing a fresh actinic surface to both images so superposed and illuminated.

3; The method of producing a composite photograph embodying two component parts which includes making transparencies, each transparency having a photographic image of one of said components, providing one of the transparency images substantially opaque to but reflective of light, making the other transparency image substantially opaque to but reflective of light by providing reflective backing thereon, transparencies, and illuminating the images by reflected light, and exposing a fresh actinic surface to both images.

4. The method of producing a composite photograph of two or more component parts which includes making transparencies, each transparency having a photographic image of one of said components, providing substantially opaque but light reflective backings for said images, superposing said transparencies and illuminating the images by reflected light, and exposing a fresh actinic surface to the images.

5. The method of producing a composite photograph embodying two or more component parts which includes making transparencies, each transparency having a photographic image of one of said components, chemically treating said images to provide opaque but light reflective backings for said images, superposing the transparencies and illuminating the images by reflected light, and exposing a fresh actinic surface to the images.

CONRAD G. BRIEL. 

